Shaman Ghost to sit out Jockey Club Gold Cup

ELMONT, N.Y. – Shaman Ghost, the winner of the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga on Sept. 3, will skip Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park and just train up to the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 5 at Santa Anita, trainer Jimmy Jerkens said Sunday.

Owned by Frank Stronach, Shaman Ghost won the Woodward with eight weeks between races. By skipping the Gold Cup, Shaman Ghost will have nine weeks between the Woodward and the Breeders’ Cup.

“Mr. Stronach felt that since he ran so huge in the Woodward being fresh, that it might serve him best for the Breeders’ Cup to sit the Gold Cup out,” Jerkens said. “He wants to take dead aim at the Breeders’ Cup; he figures that’s the best way. He’s also thinking he might be his Pegasus horse.”

The $12 million Pegasus World Cup, created by Stronach, will be run at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 28.

Jerkens will still be well represented in the Jockey Club Gold Cup by Effinex, who will be making his first start since running fourth in the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga on Aug. 6.

On Sept. 28, Effinex worked six furlongs in 1:13.40 over Belmont’s main track before galloping out seven furlongs in 1:26.93. Jerkens planned to work Effinex again on Tuesday.

Effinex has won the Grade 2 Suburban the last two years at Belmont. He finished third to Tonalist in last year’s Gold Cup.

As of Monday, only four other horses were expected to run in the Jockey Club: Mubtaahij, the runner-up to Shaman Ghost in the Woodward; Hoppertunity, fourth to California Chrome in the Pacific Classic last out; Samraat, beaten a neck by Effinex in the Suburban; and Watershed.